An article from 11/23/12 noted:
He currently carries a 3.2 GPA and is scheduled to take the SAT in December.
2014 WR/KR Isaiah McKenzie, American Heritage Plantation, Florida | deepsouthrecruiting
Not everybody is aware that ND, and now the NCAA, requires 16 Core Courses in Math, English, etc. that comprise the Core Course GPA which sets the corresponding Test (ACT or SAT) Score on a sliding scale.
Many times recruits report their overall GPA which might be considerably higher than their Core Course GPA. Last season I recall a HS coach making a fuss because his player's GPA and Test Score were fine but the recruit wasn't admitted. The coach didn't specify "Core Course " GPA. Were that lower than the overall GPA, it would require a higher corresponding Test Score. This has happened a lot over the years. Some parents also get them confused and complain ND or the Clearinghouse wasn't fair to their kid. In reality they were working with the wrong set of numbers.
One would assume that a recruit is taking those 16 core courses spread out evenly over 4 years. Again frequently not so. Some (a lot) of kids take easier courses in the earlier HS years. Then they have to scramble to fit them all in during their last 2 or 3 semesters. If a recruit takes "Introduction To The Hand Held Calculator For Jocks" as one of his 4 required Math courses, it will not be accepted. He has to replace that class with Algebra, Geometry, Trig, etc. If he slid through 2 years of non-qualifying courses, his road is even steeper as a Jr and Sr to qualify.
A recruit may also have gotten "D" in both Algebra I and III. The Clearinghouse will accept that but ND Admissions as well as Stanford and a few other schools may require the recruit to repeat a weak class to show mastery of the material. Theey're going to need a sound foundation to compete in ND classrooms.
At this time of year many recruits may not have taken their ACT/SAT or their score may be deficient with their current Core Course GPA. Increasing the CC GPA can make a lower Test Score acceptable as the necessary for each individual is related on a sliding scale.
There are a number of possibilities and unless the recruit reveals the specifics to a reporter all we can do is speculate. There won't be a definitive answer.
